Examining the definition and measurement of quality in early childhood education: A review of studies using the ECERS-R from 2003 to 2010

The field of early childhood education continues to grapple with the issue of understanding quality in classrooms. The lack of clarity in definition (or conceptualization) and related ability to assess (or operationalize) quality has contributed to a reliance on the Early Childhood Environment Rating Scale (ECERS-R), which is often interpreted to be synonymous with the quality of a classroom. Likewise, the ECERS-R (although a measurement tool) is often used to define quality. Because of the widespread use of this measure as an evaluation tool, early childhood programs have strived to achieve high ratings on this measure, and subsequently the item content of the ECERS-R has often become a focus for quality enhancement initiatives. The present study examines the definitions of quality (i.e., how quality is operationalized) in research studies using the ECERS-R over the past 8 years (2003-2010). A content analysis of 76 studies conducted in the United States indicates that studies using the ECERS-R to operationalize quality do not use a consistent definition; instead they conceptualize quality in a variety of ways ranging from quality is ECERs or classroom quality to environmental quality. In light of these varying definitions, implications for research and policy in early childhood education are discussed. © 2012 The Author(s)

Preschool Teachers’ Financial Well-Being and Work Time Supports: Associations with Children’s Emotional Expressions and Behaviors in Classrooms

The current study examined associations among teachers\u27 financial well-being, including teachers\u27 wages and their perceptions of their ability to pay for basic expenses, and teachers\u27 work time supports, including teachers\u27 paid planning time, vacation days, and sick days, and children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in preschool classrooms. Analyses controlled for teachers\u27 education and experience, as well as classroom quality (as assessed by the CLASS). Results suggest that teachers\u27 financial well-being is associated with children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in classrooms. Specifically, teachers\u27 wages positively relate to children\u27s positive emotional expressions and behaviors in classrooms, and children in classrooms of teachers who can pay for their basic expenses exhibit more positive emotional expressions and behaviors than children in classrooms of teachers who cannot pay for their basic expenses. Implications of the effects of early childhood teachers\u27 financial well-being on children\u27s emotional experiences in classrooms are discussed